1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in and/or Relating to Milking Systems and particularly, although not solely, to a claw for use in such milking systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide within a milking system a milking claw having a claw bowl member defining a sump having a claw milk line outlet and a claw body member engageable with or engaged with the claw bowl member to define, together with the sump, a chamber, the claw body member having four claw milk nipples to allow a stream of milk ingress into the chamber. Normally such a claw bowl member and/or the claw body member is associated with a pulsator assembly or unit to operate the cups which are to be connected by tubes to the claw milk nipples to operate in at least one of the modes (i) four and 0, (ii) 2 plus 2 (fore and aft) and (iii) 2 plus 2 (side to side).
U.S. Patent Specification 4,537,152 discloses such a claw assembly. A feature of the claw assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,152 is its recognition of a desire to reduce, foaming of the milk in the claw because foam, a result of the incorporation of air into the milk, causes off-flavours and also may render a downstream motoring system inaccurate. The applicant recognizes that any turbulent handling of milk in a claw additionally damages the integrity, of the milk and therefore the careful handling that can arise from the use of a claw assembly as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,152 has the additional benefit of providing for a collection and dispatch of milk through the claw milk line outlet of a better quality,. This is achieved in the claw assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,152 by use of a tangential infeed of milk from the claw milk nipples onto a frusto conical surface.
Such prior art claw assemblies that do provide for a careful handling of the milk have the disadvantage in that there is no prospect of forms providing a real impediment to cross infecting movement of milk (or any foam that might be created) from one claw milk nipple to another.